Haters Gonna Hate

Phew... I'm still trying to calm down after the close call today against UMass. Obviously no one can be pleased with the way we played them so close. That said, I think it would be a huge overreaction to start panicking. We got a win today. Denard continued to get snaps and become more comfortable running the offense. Our running backs got involved in a real way for the first time.

We are still a young team coming off a very emotional win. The national press wrote flattering articles about Denard et al for the past week straight. I'm not surprised at all that we came out flat. Let's all take a deep breath, have a few beers and enjoy a "W," regardless of how we got it. We are 3-0. I can assure you that we will come out much sharper next week. Go Blue!

if the 'criticism' is founded on solid issues, you can't say much against that. The 'haters' do need to keep in mind however that our team was the darling of the college football universe last week and the biggest star was Denard; not only was that sure to impact the focus of our team, I'm sure it impacted the focus of UMass, which I think has a great offense for a FCS team.

I'll take a win over a shitty team. App State makes me savor this victory. Do I wish we would have won by more? Absolutely, but a team full of seniors lose to an FCS team with a veteran coach and an established team so I will absolutely take all the victories we can get. GO BLUE!

The defense obviously did not play well (though why this is a huge surprise, I'm not sure) but if Gordon doesn't put that interception on the ground we probably win by three touchdowns. They got us to give back a game-clinching INT, drop the snap on a punt, and they still needed to recover an onside kick and drive half the field for a touchdown to win the game. This wasn't exactly the same as Iowa having to block two game winning field goal attempts against No. Iowa last year (and they still went on to win a BCS bowl).

Did you miss that part? They are young and not all that talented and have been inconsistent all year (just like everyone expected). Bitching about it as if that will change things is just an obnoxious waste of air.

It is not “hating” when you point out legitimate problems with the team’s performance that are likely to recur in future weeks. After a bowl game, you have every right to kick back and say, “A win is a win,” regardless of how it was accomplished. When you have 3/4ths of the schedule yet to play, you cannot say that. Rich Rodriguez sure isn’t saying that.

Bear in mind, this wasn’t just a one-game let-down. Michigan’s defense has been gashed for huge yardage by all three of its opponents, and Michigan’s special teams have yet to play well. There is nothing inconsistent with bleeding maize and blue, yet acknowledging that this team has a long way to go.

Our secondary consists of a freshman playing his third game ever as a safety after moving over from wide receiver, a sophomore student-body walk-on, a sophomore who was initially beat out by a true freshman, and two corners who nobody ever expected to play meaningful minutes at Michigan. The punter who dropped the snap is a true freshman.

Fans criticizing the coaching staff and freaking out when those guys make mistakes in a huge letdown game when we've known about these issues all offseason is just annoying.

We're 3-0 and have one of the most exciting offenses in the country. Enjoy it and hope things improve on the other side of the ball as these young guys gain experience.

Well said. We are all likely going to be frustrated later in the year when we score 35 points and lose. I just find it hard to blame the defensive coaches given the lack of seasoned talent. The great thing about this season is going to be that people (hopefully including future players) are going to see what this offense can do and see this as a program rising back to where it had been historically but with an exciting new look.

I don't deny that our defense looked terrible at times and that it was a frustrating game to watch. I also agree that we have a long way to go. My point is that after the last two seasons of misery, let's enjoy a win and be glad to be 3-0. This team needs time to grow up... as fans we can't be manic depressive, particularly after a win.